The diary of Haxhi Hasan Kopliku an important source for the Albanian society of the 18th century

Abstract

In the archive of Kopliku's family in Shkodra, we found a document on social values from the beginning of the 18th century. The diary was written in Ottoman with a prayer in Arabic, particularly on occasions like the record of a child's birth, the marriage of a son or daughter, or the death of a personality or a family member. The diary was translated in the summer of 1986 by Dr. Gjyl Çausholli. The translator's letter is on a separate sheet and helps us with data on the history of the manuscript as well as in the process of translation. The translation starts on page 57 and ends on page 150. Dr. Çausholli didn't translate all the pages. He apparently chose the parts he thought were suitable for the family's requirements. The diary entries began in 1139 AH (1726 E.S), and the diary changed different hands until the '30s of the XXth century. So, we are dealing with a family diary of about two centuries. The diary records have many historical, economic, ethnographic, and anthropological values. A series of details related to the charitable contributions of the Kopliku family are of great interest. It consists of things like public works, such as the bridge and the road, as well as religious ones, such as the mosque and the masjid, and the expenses for the girls who were getting married and the servants. Another critical aspect of the diary is the description of the itinerary of a group of pilgrims from Shkodra to Mecca through Istanbul in Syria and on the way back from Mecca to Shkodra through Egypt and Istanbul.